Review: Man-eaters - The Cursed #1 (of 5)

There are a few constants that make up my world view; fishnets are cool, always #finsup and I stand on the hill that screams that Marvel should never have cancelled Chelsea Cain’s and Kate Niemczyk’s Mockingbird book. On the other hand, the pair have maybe created something more fun and interesting with Man-eaters.

Following on from the last mini series, Maude is now 15 and heading for the hell that is Camp Craft whilst her parents get away for some special “parent only” time. Maude, is abele to take things in her sarcastic stride, but in this world, the most innocent of places, even through Maude’s withering worldview, can hide a range of dangers.

Chelsea Cain has a sharp writing style coupled with sharp observations and wry way of distilling her perceptions. I loved Cain on Mockingbird and I loved the first Man-eater series. Cain has a knack of using metaphors to highlight aspects of her story. This time around Maude has a friend in the making, which Cain uses to stretch her message. Not having been to camp, I can’t say how accurate the depiction of this one is, but it is damn funny from the kids very first interaction.

Kate Niemczyk’s art remains on point, mixing the comedy, the absurd and the horror of the situation. There are elements of cartoon strip rather than comic book at times, though that is part of the charm. Niemczyk carries not only the weight of the story but also the humour, be it slapstick or observational. Niemczyk also manages to convey a type of world weariness to Maude that amplifies the strangeness of the situations. Niemczyk also adds unique pages such as the application forms to give the reader a more interesting interaction. Additional art and desings are supplied by co-creator Lia Miternique and Stella Greenvoss. Colors are provided by Rachelle Rosenberg who uses some bold scheme coupled with a blurred type of effect. These style coalesce, adding an oddness that belabours the horrors that lay in wait for Maude and her helmet wearing friend. Letters are provided by Joe Caramaga who uses a simple font to mirror the idea of the mundanity of camp life.

This first issue does a great job of re-starting Maude’s story. With new environs and characters with which to mix, Cain has maintained traction for Maude’s story, told as always with her tongue firmly in her cheek and smart and snappy dialogue.

Sign me up for camp!

Writing – 5 Stars

Art – 5 Stars

Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 5 Stars

Created by; Chelsea Cain & Lia Miternique
Written by; Chelsea Cain
Art by; Kate Niemczyk, Lia Miternique & Stella Greenvoss
Colors by; Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by; Joe Caramagna
Published by; Image Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network